Most Emailed Articles

Video:Tips for Visiting the Alice in Wonderland Statue

The Alice in Wonderland Statue is an icon of New York City's Central Park. Watch this video from About.com for some helpful tips before visiting the Alice in Wonderland Statue.See Transcript

Transcript:Tips for Visiting the Alice in Wonderland Statue

Hi, I’m Brent Rose for About.com here with a profile of the world famous Alice in Wonderland Statue in New York City’s Central Park.

The statue, which is approximately eleven feet tall, is made of bronze and is incredibly popular. It’s easy to get to, and kids love it, because unlike most statues in the world, children are invited to climb and play on Alice and her friends. In fact, over the decades the many thousands of hands and feet have polished the bronze’s patina to an incredible shine.

A History of the Alice in Wonderland Statue

The statue was commissioned by philanthropist George Delacorte in honor of his late wife Margarita, and was given to the children of New York. It was built by artist José de Creeft in 1959, who tried to follow John Tenniel’s original illustrations from the first edition of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland (originally published in 1865).

Alice’s face, however, is said to be modeled after de Creeft’s daughter, Donna, and the Mad Hatter’s face is said to be a caricature of Delacorte.

The stature features Alice, of course, sitting on some large mushrooms. With her are The White Rabbit, the Mad Hatter, the Cheshire Cat, the Dormouse, Alice’s cat Dinah, and a few others hiding in there. Kids can climb on top of, or underneath, the statue. In the granite circle surrounding the sculputre are inscribed some lines from Alice in Wonderland, including the famous first lines from Carroll’s “The Jabberwocky”.

How to Get to the Alice in Wonderland Statue

The statue is extremely easy to get to as it’s very near the Eastern border of the park, roughly at East 74th Street. The simplest way to get to the statue is to enter the Park at East 76th Street and 5th Avenue. Then take your first left, an immediate right, and then left again to walk south and it’ll be right there.

Don’t worry, it’s very easy to spot. Alice is located just north of the popular conservatory water with its fleet of remote controlled sailboats, so if you reach the water, you’re just a bit too far south. If you’re traveling by subway, the nearest stop is the 77th Street Station, on the 6 line.

Thanks for watching. To learn more, visit us on the web at About.com.

About videos are made available on an "as is" basis, subject to the User Agreement.